Occam's Razor's Edge

Occam's Razor's Edge is an attempt to make sense of a world gone mad. I do not strive to leave a perfect world only one better than I found.

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Oh goodness gracious wherever shall I begin?

I’m sure you were at least aware that George Bush delivered his State of the Union address tonight. If you missed it you didn’t miss much. It was just same crap deeper pile.

First off Cindy Sheehan got arrested. She was invited to attend and was wearing a t-shirt with the number of American fatalities in Iraq on it. She was lifted out of her seat by the Capitol Police and arrested. Wearing a t-shirt is apparently illegal. Who knew? Some media has reported that she unfurled a banner of some sort. But there is no photographic evidence to support that as I write this.

Now Cindy could have been a good little patriot like the family of the fallen soldier who were there. I know that soldier wrote a letter that makes George’s little crusade seem worthwhile. But given that George Bush will not attend funerals for fallen soldiers trotting them out for his own political gain is pathetic. The standing ovation they received seemed unnatural to me. It’s not that I don’t feel sorry for them. I do. I’ve lost enough people I care about to empathize. But what’s with a standing ovation? It seems a bit too rah rah for my tastes. Would you applaud at a funeral? No. So please just offer the family your condolences and prayers and leave these people be.

Speaking of standing ovations, why in God’s name does the President get one about every paragraph? Sit down shut up and listen to the speech. Is this Congress or Wrestlemania? Every single time he made a point up and at them they went. Our President has made a point, now it’s time to applaud like he told us we were all getting a new car.

The President is going to off of foreign oil but converting us over to coal. Wow! You know, because we really need more people in those super-safe coal mines. Coal is such an inexhaustible resource to. He said something about ethanol made of saw grass and wood chips. Also we need more nuclear power. Unlike Iran that can’t have any because they’re bad people.

The President also defended his illegal wiretapping program by using the same old crap. He always tells us that it’s protecting us and he would never spy on Americans. Don’t believe him. You should never surrender your freedoms in the name of protection. It never works out.

For those among you who doubt that it’s illegal. Let me tell you this much, Bush as said previously that wiretapping requires a warrant. Why did he flip-flop? Or was he just lying to us before?

The President then gave his little spiel about how freedom is on the march. Democracy will insure that we will have a peaceful world. Yet when Palestine elected a government that we disapproved of, Hamas, we told them to disarm, disavow terrorism and grovel at the feet of their American overlords. Isn’t the whole point of democracy that the people can determine their own destiny? Didn’t George also say that the Middle Eastern democracies wouldn’t completely resemble our own because of cultural differences? Why can’t he accept Hamas?

He also wants the rich to keep those spiffy tax cuts forever. God I wanted to throw up. You see all that tax relief isn’t really helping the middle class or the working class or the working poor. No it only helps the wealthy few. That’s the only people this administration has ever really helped. The reason our deficit is so bad is because we have no tax income from the wealthy particularly the big corporations. Remember we have 38 million people living on the verge of hunger living in this country and wages relative to inflation are not increasing. Those tax cuts aren’t going to do squat for majority of Americans.

Personal savings accounts for health care are an unfunny joke. We need price controls and better low cost of free health care. But no one wants to keep the pharmaceutical bosses from getting fat off of their pills so that won’t happen anytime soon.

Also Bush keeps harping on how lawsuits are driving doctors away. So he wants to limit the ability of patients to sue their doctors for malpractice. I’ll just say this; if my doctor screws my health up I want justice. Of course Bush had to use the old OB/GYN example, I could make several jokes, but I digress.

When Bush dared compare his struggles to those faced by Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I wanted to break stuff. This is especially true considering Dr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, had just passed away the same day. Please let the historians decide whose struggles yours most closely mirror. Comparing yourself to great leaders like Lincoln and King just comes off as shameless.

Ok, I’m done for now. I need to go flush the Republican nonsense out of system. As always I welcome your insights to my little rants.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Let’s start off with some facts. One, the average CEO makes 475 times what the average worker does in this country. In Japan that ratio is about eleven to one. Two, Exxon posted a record profit for a US corporation last quarter of about 10.7 billion dollars.

Is anyone else as pissed off as me about these things?

I don’t begrudge someone an opportunity to get wealthy. But isn’t a ratio of 475 to 1 a little out of whack? Especially when corporations are habitually downsizing and sending what were once good paying American jobs to China where people get paid squat. Also we live in an age where retirement plans and health insurance at your job is getting more and more expensive or just fading away like a sigh.

Have you ever heard the term golden parachute? Well if you haven’t let me explain. A golden parachute is clause in a corporate executive’s contract that if they lose their job then they get a big old payday. That’s pretty messed up right there. So are the 30,000 Ford workers about to lose their jobs going to get a big fat check with stock options?

You see friends and neighbors the average worker is getting screwed. While his boss is well protected. If Joe Worker fails at his job it’s hit the road. If the CEO fails he gets rich. Is there any justice at all in that? Can anyone justify that and do it with a straight face?

About that second fact, we live in a time where gasoline prices are as high as they have ever been and some people cannot afford to heat their homes. But, Exxon is posting record profits. You see in most economies the price of something raises when the demand exceeds the supply, the greater the imbalance the higher the price. So if the prices were raised because of some dearth of oil on the market just how did Exxon profit so much? Or maybe, and I hate to speculate but I will anyway, they were just price gouging. You think maybe that’s it right there? I tend to.

Greed and gluttony are two of the Seven Deadly Sins for good reason. This corporate greed and gluttony has got to end. It serves no purpose. What’s the worst that could happen you ask? A bloody revolution is the worst that can happen. If the gap between the have-nots and the have-way-too-muches continues to widen and more and more people continue to struggle to meet their most basic needs of health care and shelter and food. Then they will fight to get them. And if our government is still beholden to corporate interests and refuses to dictate change or provide help then I fear the worst.

There is a theory that every 80 years the United States goes through a great crisis. Around 1780 we were in the Revolutionary War. Around 1860 we were in the Civil War. Around 1940 we were in the Great Depression and fighting World War II. I’m not predicting that around 2020 we will be in the middle of another revolution. But if we don’t act now to make change peacefully and without blood shed then it wouldn’t surprise me at all.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

If you want to blame someone for this post, please feel free to blame George Carlin. Not only is he the greatest living comedian he is also one of the most astute observers of the English language. It rubbed off on me and I too tend to notice things about our precious language that really get me all worked up. So I shall now submit to you, gentle reader, my list of words and phrases that really need to be eliminated.

“Winning the hearts and minds of…” Good Lord how I hate this phrase. First of it’s just a way making the very simple and straightforward word convince into a long frilly phrase. There’s no need for it. If you want to convince someone then just use the word convince. There’s no need to win their hearts and minds people. I really think if you change someone’s mind you’ve really put in a full day’s work. Plus saying you’re trying win someone’s heart just gives the impression you want to go on a date with them. Convince is a perfectly good word. Feel free to use it.

Any use of the word pimp as an adjective should be stopped immediately. You’ve heard it. A cool car is pimped out. A cool looking outfit is pimpin’. It’s sick. Pimps are vile, disgusting bottom feeders. Please let’s not glorify them. By allowing this word into the vocabulary as a positive adjective we lose all sense of how vile the crime pimps commit really is.

Please stop comparing every instance of repression to the Nazi’s or Slavery. Just because there is an attempt to hold you back or do something that maybe restricts your freedom it does not compare to what the Nazi’s did or what happened to the slaves in the South before the United States outlawed slavery. If you make this comparison you’re just showing how little you really understand about history. Please don’t. Are you listening Hillary?

The phrase “sexual predator” needs to be eliminated. I don’t mean to defend real sex criminals but this phrase tells you nothing. A sexual predator sounds like a guy with a hairy chest and too much jewelry who hits on every woman in a bar. We should use words that describe the offense these people have committed. If they are child molesters or pedophiles or rapists please label them as such. While I’m on this topic please stop misusing pedophile. A pedophile is someone with an attraction to prepubescent children not teenagers. Just because some cute twenty-something teacher had sex with a teenage boy does not make her a pedophile. It just makes her dumb. It also makes for more mindless gossip that gets disguised as news, but I digress.

Please stop using so much hyperbole. Everything is so extreme in our culture that nothing really means a lot anymore. Not every bad thing that happens is tragic. Nor is every good thing that happens amazing. Please relax and get a sense of reality. This also extends to people who only ever have super days. You know whom I’m talking about. Everything is always great or super. Stop your lying. I’d pay to have someone tell their day was moderately nifty or somewhat swell.

Please use the word irony correctly. Irony refers to opposite not coincidence. If twin sisters marry another set of twins, that’s coincidence not irony. If twin sisters marry a set of twins that turn to be just one guy who wanted to marry them both. That’s a really entertaining episode of Jerry Springer’s show not irony. If twin sisters marry a set of twins to get away from their alcoholic abusive father and both of the men they marry turn out to be abusive alcoholics, that’s irony.

As always kids remember to watch your language and good luck, Mr. Gorsky.

Monday, January 23, 2006

As you may have noticed January 22nd was the 33rd anniversary of the Supreme Court case Roe v Wade. Of course this case settled all debate on the topic of abortion. I’m kidding. Abortion currently is the political litmus test. In fact, I know an awful lot of one-issue voters for whom abortion is the issue. It’s not poverty or health care or foreign policy. It’s abortion. As you already know about me I’m not a big fan of single-issue voters. But that’s neither here nor there.

I know I have made my thoughts on abortion known in the past and I won’t beat that poor dead horse. But rather I’d like to look at the issue itself. I’m not conceited enough to think I have a whole lot of answers but I do think just bright enough to ask an awful lot of pretty good questions. I will free to drop my opinion in here and there and everywhere. It’s why I made this blog. But I’ll admit right here and now I don’t have answers for every question I raise. It never hurts to ask questions however.

I’d really appreciate feedback on this. So all you only post when you disagree people are going to have to post something positive maybe.

First and foremost I’d like to point out one major problem that exists in the debate in abortion. Both sides are making a completely different argument. The Pro-Choice side argues that it’s a woman’s right to control her own reproductive functions. The Pro-Life side argues that even a newly conceived fetus is in fact a human life and therefore ought to have a right to be protected under law. Can you see why this more of a pissing match than a reasoned debate? They’re not arguing the same thing. They’re arguing two different things. It’s awfully hard to find a middle ground on two different continents.

I’m going to ask this of both sides, please stop being such absolutists! Unfortunately in American political debate it seems we only we ever hear from. So that is what people think the whole debate is two sides. No one ever brings up the middle ground. Why is there no compromise? Would both sides giving up a little bit be so bad? This is yet another reason we shall never hear the end of the abortion debate, because both sides refuse to yield.

Also I find a rather large faction of the Pro-Life movement to be raging hypocrites. Anyone who bombs an abortion clinic is not in favor of life in the slightest. You cannot pick and choose the lives you wish to feel be worthy of your support. Murder is always wrong. Since most of the people who think like this are fundamentalist Christians I can make a good biblical reference. Remember when the Lord said that vengeance was His? Why did he reserve vengeance for Himself? Because He knew we weren’t smart enough to handle it. So let’s leave the revenge up to God. I also find people that support the death penalty and military aggression but oppose abortion so passionately rather curious. Again I really don’t think you can pick and choose what life you want to support.

Let me also say this about the Pro-Life movement. I wish they would lighten up on birth control. It’s main sticking point with my own faith and me. I really don’t see the harm in condoms being used. I’m also perfectly all right with the pill, IUD’s and diaphragms. I don’t think you can call for an end to abortion and not provide the means to lessen unwanted pregnancies. Unwanted pregnancies are the cause of all this ruckus. So if you eliminate that guess what happens.

So as not to sound one-sided I also find people that want no more wars and will cry over a the execution of a convicted murderer but stand in support of abortion a curious lot as well. I know what you’re thinking. Pro-Choice supporters are making abortion safe for the women who want them. I have no problem with doing away with unsafe abortions. I don’t want to see anyone die. But a lot of Pro-Choice supporters seem to have so little regard for the fetus. I have a hard time completely disregarding it. That stance seems as if a pregnant woman condition is no different than someone with a tumor. So apparently punching a pregnant woman in the stomach is no big deal. Unless of course she wants the baby then it’s totally different.

Which brings me to next point. Why is whether or not the pregnancy is wanted such a consideration? I know that pissed somebody off and I’m ok with that. But I have a hard time figuring out if one fetus is wanted and one is not why is it ok to abort the unwanted one? Is not a part of the same process? I always feel a bit uneasy when people start playing God. It’s also a big part of why I oppose capital punishment and euthanasia; I really can’t bring myself to believe that we are smart enough to get to decide who lives and who dies.

Again I don’t have all the answers here so please if you can enlighten me please do. I think an active, open and intellectual debate would do this country good. I can’t say as I see that happening soon but I can dream.

Oh yeah also note I will not respond to “straw man “ characterizations or ad hominem attacks or anything of the like. I would like some honest smart input here. I look forward to being enlightened.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Some days I’m down right giddy that I’m Catholic. Go forth children and read this article. Thanks to Alternet for alerting me to this story.

It’s about time someone agrees with me on this. Not that I wouldn’t be willing to stand alone mind you. But having some friends and neighbors stand with me is a good feeling.

Now I’m not going to go on yet another rant about evolution vs. intelligent design, I’ve said my peace. But I think this article underscores a very important point. Not all people of faith are against progress and reason. In fact I would wager that most people of faith are as open-minded and eager to learn as their agnostic and atheist brothers and sisters.

If you only pay attention to the media in this country with regard to religion you’d swear all the faithful were batty. You’d be pretty certain they all hate gay people and vote Republican. But they don’t. In fact Catholics are down right pinko commies. If you factor out the Catholic Church’s stance on sexual issues, which is, where the schism between them and American liberals is. The Catholic Church is a very liberal organization really. They are very pro-human right and pro-workers rights and are in opposition to war and the death penalty. God I’m amazed Al Franken isn’t Catholic. Oh come on, laugh it’s funny. Plus the Catholic Church has a strong tradition of opening schools and hospitals. I tell you the Catholics really are socialists at heart. I know lots of other churches do these things but I speak of the Catholic faith because it’s where I come from and what I know the best. So please don’t take offense if you’re a Baptist or Methodist or one of the many other faiths that has made public service a priority.

I always cringe a bit when I hear people regard religion like it’s a mental handicap. I know you’ve heard some smug atheist get on their little soapbox and demean religion. I always take great comfort though in that atheism in itself is an intellectual fallacy. Oh yes it is. I’m not saying they’re wrong. Who knows? They could be right and there may not be a God. But atheist can no more disprove the existence of God than a Christian can prove it. So at best you can doubt it or be agnostic if you will. Remember kids; the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. Isn’t logic just the coolest?

In the case of all the goofy fools making all that noise and giving religion a bad name it always helps to remember this; the empty can rattles the most. Also that the only time people make a lot of racket about an issue is when it is in the most doubt. People that have come to terms with their faith and themselves tend to be very peaceful caring people. Its conniving cretins that use religion like its propaganda that are making the rest of us look bad.

Monday, January 16, 2006

On January 17th we celebrate the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s birth. For those of you who don’t know me that well I’m a big Benjamin Franklin fan. I’m a great admirer of our founding fathers in general. Franklin is a special case however. I love him extra.

Now I could sit here pontificate on why I’m so enamored with Benjamin Franklin. But however as I was sitting around thinking an idea hit me. I really think that Franklin would be unsettled by the current state of affairs.

First and anecdote and a quote if I may. As Benjamin Franklin was leaving the Constitutional Congress one night a citizen asked him if we had a republic. Franklin replied, “If you can keep it”. Franklin is also quoted as saying “The role of the government is to do for the citizens what they can not do for themselves.” The anecdote shows that Franklin knew we had to be a politically active and aware to keep a republic. Apathy will never fuel a democracy. The quote shows that Franklin favored a relatively limited government. After all the smaller the government the harder it is for it to interfere in people’s lives.

Now what does this have to do with anything today you might ask. Well I have one specific issue that’s been bothering me and have yet to write about it. I’m speaking of the wire tapping scandal. This is the most belligerent abuse of presidential powers ever. I would say it certainly is in my lifetime. It is a direct violation of the Constitution of the United States of America. The same document George W. Bush swore to uphold. By wiretapping without a warrant our president has broken the law. If I remember nothing else from high school civics it is that the job of the executive branch to enforce the law. Our president has not done that.

What’s even more unsettling is that 42% of those polled felt that the wiretapping is ok. Good God Almighty! Are we that afraid? Is a full 42% of America so scared of another terrorist attack that we are willing to ignore the Constitution? Actually I know what they are thinking. They’re thinking that this wiretapping is only being done to the bad guys. That this only for our well being. Well it’s not. It’s also been revealed that the feds have been keeping an eye on both the Quakers and the Catholic Workers. If you don’t know about either of these people I urge you to go learn more. I will say this there could not be two more peaceful entities on planet Earth. Of course the feds think the Catholic Workers have Communist leanings.

I can also hear a few of you thinking this, “But we’re at war!” or maybe “We’ve got to stop terrorism at all costs!” To which I would urge you to calm down and think. Just because we’ve invaded a country and are still trying to suppress an insurgent movement doesn’t mean we should throw away our Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. Also what good does defeating the terrorists do if we end up in a far worse place than we started?

I really think that Benjamin Franklin would be rather appalled at how people are surrendering their freedom’s in the name of a bit of safety. We’ve allowed this government to expand its powers far beyond what our law allows and that is not acceptable. We sit on our hands when we should have our fists in the air demanding justice. We live under a doctrine of fear rather than reason. Our republic is slowly going away because we’re allowing it to happen.

Just in case you’re wondering, Bush should be impeached. He is sworn to uphold the constitution and he failed to do so. So he must go.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

OK, now that you’ve read those three insightful yet very depressing articles allow me to rant my little brains out.

Recently I’ve been hearing an awful lot about child prostitution rings overseas but very little about any in my own backyard. So when I find out a town less that 50 miles from my very home is the epicenter of child prostitution in the United States I get a little upset.

Not because of its proximity to me but rather that it’s happening at all. I mean what sort of sick bastard abducts and manipulates children to be used for sex? Also what sort of sick bastard is paying for this? These are kids as young as 12. It’s just pathetic on so many levels.

The articles do a great job of exposing this horrible crime and that’s a wonderful thing. The only way to get rid of the darkness is to let in the light.

Let me get one little shot in on something I heard when I brought this topic up at work the other day. First some damn fool tried to make this a racial issue by blaming in on the black guys who were pimps. Of course she used some pathetic racial slur that I will not repeat. Some other fool simply blew it off, as there is nothing we can do. Good Lord how I loathe pessimists. See I disagree this Mr. Pessimistic. I thinks there’s a definite course of action we should take.What action can you take against a pimp? Well I’m glad you asked because I have a rather simple plan because as always I’m here to help.

First we must bring down the hammer on anyone who abducts and/or coerces children into prostitution. How severe should we be? I think seriously there are grounds to make this a very serious federal crime. Why federal? I really think this is a violation of these children’s Constitutional rights. Yes I’m serious. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution outlaws slavery. These girls are slaves. Therefore their Constitutional rights as American Citizens have been violated. So we should put these pimps and their accomplices who keep these kids bound with fear in a cold dark place for a very long time.

Second we need a great deal of rehabilitation for these girls. We cannot simply free them from the shackles of prostitution and throw them back out into society and expect them to thrive. The pimps picked most of these girls because they lacked self-esteem or had some learning disability or lived in an abusive home or some other social handicap. They were already falling through the cracks. Once they’ve endured an ordeal like this God only knows what damage has been done. So we can’t expect them to survive without offering them the therapy and education they need. Remember you cannot end abuse in a society by jailing the abusers. You must also rehabilitate the victims. Because that’s abuse works. It’s a vicious circle. The abused often go from abusive relationship to abusive relationship or become abusers themselves.

If my time at St. Wendelin schools taught me nothing else it taught me this, that we will be judged on how we treat the least of our brothers and sisters. These poor lost souls that are child prostitutes need us. We cannot abandon them. What sort of society abandons its children? Not one I would be at all proud of.

Monday, January 09, 2006

I know I’m a few days late of some of this, but I’ve been busy so please indulge me.

I really hate Pat Robertson. I’ve figured out my reasons for this is two-fold.

For one he says stupid things. When he’s not calling for assassinations he’s telling rural Pennsylvania towns they’ve abandoned God. Now he’s quite certain that Ariel Sharon’s recent stroke is the wrath of God. See because Sharon is letting the Palestinians have some land on the Gaza Strip old Pat thinks he’s dividing up the Holy Land and that makes God angry. Much like Bruce Banner you wouldn’t like God when he’s angry. So if I understand correctly Sharon’s effort to appease the Palestinians and maybe start the slow road toward peace in the region just pisses God off.

Maybe Pat should go back and reread his Bible. There’s a part in the Book of Matthew (chapters 5-7) called the Sermon on the Mount. Maybe you’ve heard of it Pat. One of the key points of the sermon was that and I will quote “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Well that’s funny. It seems like Jesus was calling for all His people to get along and love one another. It seems like Jesus wouldn’t tell a man who just suffered a horrible stroke that his efforts to be peaceful earned God’s wrath.

Let me get a shot in on this whole concept of the Holy Land. While I will not deny that there are great many locations of incredible historic importance to many religions in the Middle East, I have issues with it being held above the rest of the planet. The idea that God cares more for the “Holy Land” than the rest of this precious blue-green ball we call Earth is annoying to me. I have a heard time believing that God loves certain parts of His real estate more than others. I know Jesus was born in Bethlehem but I really think God loves the rest of the world just as much. So this insinuation that the rest of the world can rot away from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Famine, War, Pestilence and Death and God isn’t as worried as He is about a small stretch of land in the Middle East confuses me greatly.

Let me also bring up something else that caught my attention recently. Maybe you heard about the controversy surrounding the new NBC series, “The Book of Daniel”. First, let me save you some time, please don’t watch this show. I hate it on many levels. None of which have to do with the controversy. It’s a poorly written and acted pile of crap. Please spend your time more wisely. Anyway back to the controversy, you see some Christian groups were irate because Jesus is a regular character on the show. Now mind you none of these groups had seen the show as far as I know. But they were all up in arms because according to one lady the series would present a tolerant Jesus. Yes friends and neighbors we can’t have a tolerant Jesus. Now feel free to go back and read the Sermon on the Mount one more time. Were these not the words of a tolerant man? Did I miss in my twelve years in Catholic school the intolerant Jesus? Is this angry Jesus in one of the books of the Bible not in the Catholic version?

I suspect what people like this woman are doing is being cafeteria Christians. They read through the Bible and pick out the stuff that appeals to them and ignore the rest. They want to be all Depeche Mode and have their own personal Jesus. Can’t you just see them in line? “Oh please give me extra self-righteousness and heaping plateful of arrogant morality. No thanks to the humility and pity though. That stuff makes me queasy. “

I write this because it really bothers me. I’m a mediocre Catholic who has a Catholic education and drags my sorry sinner butt to Mass every Sunday and most Holy Days. I try and to live like Jesus tried to teach us all. I try and help the needy and be more compassionate and understanding and be more peaceful. So when I see people using Christianity to condemn people and to stand in judgment I get annoyed. If these cafeteria Christians put half the energy they put into judging people into helping the needy we’d be a lot closer to Heaven than we are right now.

” When you believe in things you don't understand, you'll suffer.Superstition ain't the way”“Superstition”Stevie Wonder

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Everyone is familiar with that most famous of superheroes, Superman. Most everyone can tell you what he can do. Most everyone can tell you what he looks like. Most everyone can tell you who his secret identity is. What most people can’t tell you is whom it was that he fought at the very beginning. It was not mad scientist or aliens or monsters. It was corrupt people like lobbyists, war profiteers, greedy businessmen and lynch mobs.

Yes friends and neighbors Superman started his career off as a two-fisted champion for justice. That whole truth justice and the American way was something Superman really took to heart. In his very first adventure he stopped a lynch mob from hanging a man and then later slapped some manners on a wife beater.

Superman later stopped a deal between a lobbyist and corrupt senator that would have sold illegal arms to Latin American country by making the munitions dealer fight on the front lines.

In what is said to be Jerry Siegel’s favorite story a disguised Superman traps a greedy mine owner in his own mine to force him to make improvements in the mine’s safety.

Superman started out as a soft bleeding heart liberal pinko commie wuss, at least if I was Bill O’Reilly or Rush Limbaugh that’s what I’d think. Thankfully, I am neither of those individuals. The Oxycontin or the luffa bills would break me. Oh come on laugh. It’s funny.

Is the mention of greedy mine owners, lobbyists and corrupt politicians reminding you of anything in the news? We could really use Superman’s help right about now couldn’t we?

What’s really cool about this is Superman’s brief time as a socially conscious hero didn’t negatively affect his sales at all. His popularity exploded during all this activism. Seeing how these were his initial appearances in comic books if the public had found his activism troubling we may have never heard from the Man of Steel again. But that was not meant to be, instead Superman become quite possibly the most recognizable character ever.

I bring this all up not only because I am an incurable nerd, but also because I think it shows that we weren’t as conservative in the past as some people would like you to believe. Also I think it really shows that Americans are really progressives at heart. We want safe jobs and to be free of greedy politicians and crocked businessmen.

I suppose if Superman were debuting today he’d have no shortage of injustice to fight now would he?

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Happy New Year!

I am now going to share my New Year’s resolution with you. It’s not losing weight or quitting anything. It’s not anything for my own personal gain at all. Instead it’s more about the future of this sad government of ours. From here on out I shall do my best to support candidates from any party but the Republicans and the Democrats.

I have officially forsaken them both as best as I am able. Now mind you if Dennis Kucinich runs for President, I’m in. I’m a big Kucinich fan. He may be officially a Democrat but he acts nothing like a typical politician. So Dennis is all right with me.

But as for most of the rest of them, I’m done with them. I’ve grown weary of the scandals and backbiting and being obedient little corporate lap dogs. I’ve had enough and I refuse to take it anymore. I’m moving on to a saner place.

The Jack Abramoff scandal is threatening to take down as many as 20 senators and representatives from both parties. The wire tapping scandal may end up causing far more damage to this country than any terrorist could ever do. We need change my friends and you can’t get change by voting from the same two tired old parties. It’s time to think outside the box.

I know I’m probably going to be awfully lonely in my little revolution. I don’t care though. I’m fed up and I want this country to fulfill its promise and live up to its potential.

Once again I hope you have a happy new year. I shall leave you with a quote from Voltaire I think it applies.

"If there were only one religion in England there would be danger of despotism; if there were two they would cut each other’s throats. But there are thirty, and they live in peace and happiness."